


Lucky I Ran Into You

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-20 11:25:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2426975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I probably pushed too hard…I always push too hard.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lucky I Ran Into You

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the **Valentine’s** **Day Hotch/Prentiss-athon**. Written for the prompt **injury**. 

“Shit! Ow! Dammit, ow!”

 

Emily stopped mid-stride, hopping around. She tried to shake off the cramp but it didn’t work. Mumbling expletives under her breath, she put her foot on the ground. No, that wasn’t going to work either. Oh my God, it had been some time since she felt that kind of pain. Was she really that out of shape? Emily tried to figure out how she was going to get home when she heard the familiar voice.

 

“Do you need some help?” he asked.

 

She whirled around, losing her balance, and Hotch rushed to keep her upward.

 

“Prentiss?”

 

“That’s me.” She said.

 

“I didn’t recognize you.”

 

“It’s the hat.” She pointed to the Yankees cap.

 

“C'mon, let’s get you on a bench. Lean on me.”

 

She nodded. The walk felt like the longest of her life, runners and walkers going around them as they made their way to the stone bench. Once seated, she again tried to shake it off.

 

“Don’t do that,” Hotch said. “It doesn’t work.”

 

“Thank you, Marcus Welby.” She smirked.

 

“Gimme your leg.”

 

“I'm sorry?”

 

“Give me your leg, Prentiss,” Hotch grinned. “I'm not going to eat it.”

 

Sighing, she turned her body on the bench, gingerly lifted her left leg, and plopped it into his lap. Hotch was grateful his hands were there to catch it.

 

“How bad is the cramp?” he asked, squeezing her calf.

 

“Ow!” she punched him in the arm.

 

“Ow!” he looked at her with wide hazel eyes.

 

“I'm sorry Hotch.” She could hardly hold in her laugh though there were tears in her eyes. “That was reflex…you hurt me.”

 

“I didn’t mean to.” He was gentler with her leg. “You hit hard.”

 

“I had to learn to.” Emily replied.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because hitting usually comes after name calling.”

 

Hotch nodded, not saying anything else. He just worked his fingers over her calf, feeling the tight muscles. He tried to pretend it was an anonymous calf. If he remembered it was attached to Emily Prentiss he would surely lose his nerve. Hotch usually kept his distance with her, a friendly distance but still a distance. 

 

It was just a silly crush; he couldn’t even pinpoint when it happened. He heard her laughing with Morgan one morning and the butterflies moved into his stomach. They had been there almost a year now. Could a crush last that long? Could it possibly be something more? Hotch did his best not to think about her. It was one of the few things he failed at.

 

“How many times have you gone around the Reservoir?” he asked, changing the subject. Her calf was naked, he pushed her pants leg up and he felt giddy touching her skin. Dressed in Nike track pants and a UNC tee shirt that left her midriff bare, Hotch thought he was imagining things when he saw the sun reflect off the metal bar in her belly button.

 

“Um…” she gripped his shirt sleeve, gritting her teeth. “This was my 10th time. I was doing a five mile run and was going to cool down with a two mile walk.”

 

“I just finished my five. Did you warm up properly?”

 

“Hotch, I have been running since I was a kid. I think I know how to warm up properly.”

 

She was quite warm now as he massaged her skin. His hands felt so good, as she imagined they would. Hotch was a main character in her fantasy life. On nights when the insomnia was bad or the dreams worse, little but her imagining him holding her could get Emily back to sleep.

 

“I didn’t know you were a runner.” He said.

 

“Looks like you learned something new about me.” Emily smiled. “It’s a good way to sweat and a great way to just relieve the tension. I feel free when I am on a good path. I've never seen you out here.”

 

“I usually work out at the gym. Since the weather finally broke I thought I would enjoy a morning out. I'm glad I was here.”

 

The idea of another man rubbing her leg made Hotch feel uncomfortable. Not that he would have ever found out about it.

 

“You came to the rescue,” Emily said, not meeting his eyes.

 

“I am no hero, Prentiss.”

 

“That’s what heroes always say. Alright, I’ll stop embarrassing you.”

 

“Its fine,” Hotch smiled. “How is the calf feeling?”

 

“Still pretty tight and sore. I probably pushed too hard…I always push too hard.”

 

“You're going to be alright.” He said.

 

“That feels good.”

 

“I remember you saying once that you enjoyed massages.” Hotch took his hands away and placed her leg back on the ground. “Stand up for me.”

 

Emily stood, teetering as she balanced on one foot and held one up like a ballerina.

 

“Put it on the ground.” Hotch said.

 

“I…”

 

“You know I will catch you if you stumble, Prentiss.”

 

She looked deep into his hazel eyes and nodded. She put her foot down and grimaced.

 

“OK, sit back down.”

 

She listened to him. He sat beside her.

 

“I think I really injured it.” She murmured.

 

“You're going to be fine…it just needs some TLC.”

 

“I should go home.”

 

“You can't even walk,” Hotch reasoned. “Give me the leg; I will take care of you.”

 

“I can take care of myself.” Her tone was defiant.

 

“I beg to differ at this exact moment.”

 

“I don't think…”

 

“Give me your leg or…”

 

“Or what?” she raised her eyebrow.

 

“Or else.” Hotch couldn’t help but smile.

 

“Or else what, Hotch?”

 

“Or else I won't take you out for pancakes.” He replied.

 

“I love pancakes.” Her voice was dreamy as she surrendered the leg. She bit back a moan as Hotch once again rolled up her pants leg and worked on the calf.

 

“That’s something I knew about you. The Georgetown Diner has the Saturday Neverending…”

 

“Pancake plate.” Emily finished his sentence. “I love that. I should probably buy; you didn’t have to do what you are doing.”

 

“Oh stop it. And you are not paying. Some things women don’t do when they are with able-bodied men…pay for brunch is one of them.”

 

“That’s really old school Hotch. I am an able-bodied woman, calf notwithstanding.”

 

“Maybe I am old school. There are just some things ingrained in me.” He replied. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.”

 

“Anyway, I think the man paying thing only applies to a date.” Emily went on. “This is not a date.”

 

“Hmm. So, I am guessing there will be no sex for me…that’s a bummer.”

 

“Oh my God, Hotch!” she exclaimed, laughing and slapping his arm.

 

“Sorry,” he laughed too. “That was inappropriate.”

 

“It really was; damn I love inappropriate. You should laugh more often. You have a great laugh.”

 

“So do you, Emily. Our job isn’t conducive to much laughter though.”

 

“I was going to say we’re not always at work but that would be untrue.”

 

“We’re not at work now.” Hotch replied.

 

“A miracle. When I was a little girl, my parents worked all the time and I promised myself that I would never be that way. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

 

“You're wonderful at your job. We couldn’t do what we do without you.”

 

“That’s not a comfort, Hotch.”

 

“In a little while, you'll be eating pancakes until you fall over from exhaustion.” He added.

 

“OK, you're getting warmer.” Emily managed a smile.

 

“How is the calf?”

 

“I should be alright.”

 

“We’ll give it a little extra for good measure.”

 

“Soaking in the tub when I get home should help some. With a whole weekend off I was looking forward to getting some things done. Now I will probably prop myself up on the couch.”

 

“This may have been your body’s way of telling you to relax. There are fun things you can do on the couch as well.” Hotch said.

 

“Really? Tell me what you had in mind, fella.”

 

“Movie night. Good films, good food, a bottle of wine, and excellent company.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“We don’t have to be alone; we can be together.”

 

“Wow…romantic.” Emily rolled her eyes.

 

“I'm just saying…”

 

“I don’t want to be together so we don’t have to be alone, Hotch. Jesus, that didn’t even sound right coming out of my mouth. I…”

 

“Then how about because I love your smile? How about because I want to talk to you until I am blue in the face? How about because I like you Emily and I am sick of carrying it around like a 40 pound weight in my stomach when I am a grown man and I should just be able to say that the idea of spending more time with you without profiles and police stations is something that makes me happy. I want to hear the whole, and surely entertaining, story of that navel ring.”

 

“What?” she looked down at it and smiled.

 

“I bet it’s a story worth hearing.” Hotch said.

 

“It is.”

 

“I want you to tell me. I will bring the movies and a bottle of wine. I just got a new Hitchcock box set…suspense is always better with company.”

 

“Does it have _Shadow of a Doubt_?” Emily asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Do I get to hear your story, Hotch?”

 

“Which story?”

 

“I’ll let you pick.”

 

He nodded, once again putting her leg on the ground and standing.

 

“Stand up; put a little weight on it.”

 

Emily did, wincing a bit but not faltering. Hotch held his arms on either side of her.

 

“Are you alright?” he asked.

 

“I think so. Lets walk a bit; it will be good for me.”

 

The Unit Chief offered his hand and Emily took it. They walked slowly, not saying much. It really was a beautiful late morning; the cherry blossoms were blooming and the leaves coming back to the trees. The weather was warm but the smell of rain was fresh in the air. Emily took a deep breath as her slow limp turned into a more normal walk.

 

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

 

“If we walk up a little further and cut through, we will be out of the park.” Hotch said. “Its only about four blocks to the diner. Unless you want to take a cab; maybe you shouldn’t walk that far.”

 

“I'm going to be fine.” Emily glanced at him. “I feel as if I'm walking on air anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I'm really glad that you are letting me pay for the pancakes, Emily.”

 

“Why’s that?”

 

“Because this is definitely a date.”

 

She smiled as Hotch squeezed her hand. Neither minded the nice, slow walk as they lost themselves in pleasant thoughts of mornings to come.

 

***

                                                                                                                                       

  
  
 

 

 


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